The present invention relates to a telephone apparatus and a method for call divert in a mobile telephone system and more particularly to a telephone apparatus and a method for conditional call divert in a mobile telephone system.
Modern telephone systems or telecommunication networks consist of three general categories of equipment: terminal equipment, transmission equipment and switching equipment. Each of these three categories, in turn, comprises a number of subcategories or technologies. For example, termination equipment includes telephone sets, wiring, and other components, as well as recording, answering, and voice mail equipment. Further, both public and private networks are available.
Different kinds of services for the subscribers are provided in telephone systems. These services are applicable to public switched telephone networks as well as mobile telephone networks, such as GSM systems.
Call divert is a service enabling the subscriber to redirect calls to another destination, for example his voice mail or home telephone.
EP-A-494 525 discloses a telephone apparatus providing a Calling Line Identification or CLI related function, wherein CLI implies that the subscriber number of the telephone from which a call is originated is transmitted in binary code to a receiving subscriber telephone. The telephone comprises a memory in which telephone numbers can be stored together with an associated operating instruction. For example, an instruction causes a xe2x80x9cBUSY LINExe2x80x9d as a response to a calling subscriber although the called subscriber is not busy in a call but does not want to answer the phone. Thus, the telephone can respond with a xe2x80x9cBUSY LINExe2x80x9d signal for calls originating from selected telephone numbers.
Another instruction may cause the call to be redirected to a different number, e.g. to a specified number selected from the telephone number store.
Hence, the telephone may respond in one particular way for one telephone number and in a different way for a second telephone number while operation may proceed as normal for calls from other telephone numbers.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,578 discloses a system providing a CLI-function, wherein telephone calls are diverted to other numbers or may pass as regular phone calls depending on different conditions. Calls to a personal number assigned to the subscriber are routed to a PCS (personal communication services) node which will re-route the call according to the subscriber""s service profile stored in a database. For example, a user of the phone may store different settings in order to accept normal calls, or only calls associated with a particular priority, or emergency calls. The identification of the calling subscriber is performed by means of CLI or a password system. However, this system is more complicated than the system disclosed by EP-A-494 525.
A conventional call divert provided in a mobile telephone system may divert all calls regardless of whether the mobile phone is turned on or off, or if the user does not answer within a preset time period, is busy, or if the phone is out of reach of a network.
However, if the same mobile phone is used both at work, at home and in other environments or situations, and the subscriber does for example not want to answer calls associated with his work if he is at home, none of these services are suitable.
The present invention is directed to a mobile telephone apparatus providing an improved conditional call divert service and a method for the same, wherein an incoming call to the present mobile phone having a particular phone number is accepted or diverted to another phone number depending on the current operation mode of the phone. This is accomplished with a telephone apparatus according to the invention, comprising means enabling the mobile phone to operate in at least two different modes. In a first mode the phone accepts calls from subscribers having a first set of phone numbers and diverts other phone calls to another phone number, and when it is in a second mode the phone accepts calls from subscribers having a second set of phone numbers and diverts other phone calls to still another phone number.
Thus, by identifying the telephone number of the calling subscriber, and depending on the number, the call is accepted or diverted to another phone number or a voice mail.
Another object of the invention is to provide a telephone apparatus having a conditional call divert service, wherein in the first mode telephone calls associated with the subscriber""s work are accepted and other phone calls are diverted to another number, and in the second mode private telephone calls are accepted and work related phone calls are diverted to another phone number.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a telephone apparatus having a conditional call divert service, wherein phone calls not accepted may be divided into groups of phone numbers, members of each group being diverted to different numbers.
An advantage of the present invention appears when the same mobile phone is used by a subscriber both at work, at home and in other environments or situations, and the subscriber does for example not want to answer calls associated with his work if he is at home and vice versa. According to the invention the subscriber can control who can reach him or not in a suitable way.